God Has Brought His Glory to the East

God gave His glory to Israel then moved it away from there,bringing the Israelites and bringing all men to the East.God has led them all to the light,so that they may be reunited and associate with light,no longer have to search, search for the light.

Who is my Lord

Liu Zhizhong is a pastor at a local house church in China. He's been a believer for over 30 years, and has constantly maintained that "The Holy Bible is inspired by God," "The Holy Bible represents God, believing in God is believing in the Bible, believing in the Bible is believing in God."

Faith in God

Yu Congguang is a gospel preacher from the Church of Almighty God. Because he was pursued by the CCP government while preaching the gospel, he fled to the mountain and got help from Zheng Xun, a co-worker of the local house church.

XiaoZhen's Story

Xiao Zhen used to be a pure, kind-hearted Christian, who always treated her friends sincerely. However, when it was to their benefit, her former friends became her enemies.

The Mystery of GodLiness

Lin Bo’en had believed in the Lord for decades and was a senior preacher. Ever since his acceptance of Almighty God, Christ of the last days, he had been confronted with the condemnation and rejection of the pastors, elders, and antichrist forces in the religious world and was eventually expelled from the religion.

Showing posts with label the kingdom of heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the kingdom of heaven. Show all posts

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Whom Do You Actually Believe in? I

Whom Do You Actually Believe in? I

Liu Xiangming
One day, two brothers, my wife, and I had a meeting at our home. We were watching a film of the Church of Almighty God, Rapture in Peril, on the computer.
After we finished it, my wife was overwhelmed by emotion, saying, “This film is really so great. It thoroughly exposes the substance of God’s believers worshiping man and looking up to man. And it indeed sounds warnings for those who believe in God but in essence follow man and obey man.”
I also said with feeling, “Yes! Without the truth, man is apt to be deceived by false shepherds and antichrists, and even thinks that they can also be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven if they follow their pastors and elders. They are really muddled, foolish, and ignorant. I remember the Lord Jesus once said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me’(John 14:6). Almighty God also says, ‘Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God. If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. Those who are controlled by regulations, by letters, and shackled by history will never be able to gain life, and will never be able to gain the perpetual way of life. That is because all they have is turbid water that has lain stagnant for thousands of years, instead of the water of life that flows from the throne. …
Those who wish to gain life without relying on the truth spoken by Christ are the most ridiculous people on earth, and those who do not accept the way of life brought by Christ are lost in fantasy. And so I say that the people who do not accept Christ of the last days shall forever be despised by God. Christ is man’s gateway to the kingdom during the last days, which none may bypass. None may be perfected by God except through Christ’ (“Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words allow us to understand that only God is the truth, the way, and the life and that only God can save man and perfect man. Man’s gaining the truth and life is inseparable from God’s guidance and provision. If they don’t accept the truth expressed by Christ of the last days, there will be a faint hope for them to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
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Brother Li said, “Yes! Only God can save man and lead man out of sin. When the Lord Jesus was crucified to redeem mankind, He redeemed man from under the law with His sinless flesh, so that man could continue to live. Today, the last days have come. God has returned to flesh, speaks and utters His voice among man, and judges and purifies man with the truth. These truths are the only way through which man can be purified and approved by God. If man leaves the provision of Christ of the last days, no one will be able to break free from Satan’s bondage and receive God’s promise. This is beyond doubt.”
I said with shame, “Alas! It shames me to say it. Looking back to the time when I didn’t accept Almighty God’s work of the last days, although I was a believer in the Lord, I worshiped man, looked up to man, and followed man. I listened to my pastors and elders in everything, thinking obeying them was obeying God and that they could surely take me into the kingdom of heaven as long as I followed them. Afterward, God’s work of the last days came upon me, but I listened to the words of my pastors and elders, neither seeking nor investigating the new work done by God. It was God’s mercy that allowed me to hear Almighty God’s words, and realize that I’m following man while believing in God and resisting God without even knowing it. Whenever I think of my former absurd viewpoints on belief in God and my attitude toward God’s work of the last days, I am beset by remorse and regret.”
Brother Liang looked at me, saying, “Brother Liu, we’re curious about how you accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days. Would you please share it with us?”
I sighed slowly and said, “Oh. It’s a long story. I really hate myself for being so foolish and ignorant …” Then I told them my experience.
One day a year ago, I was told that Pastor Sun came to give a sermon. So, I grabbed a quick snack and went to the meeting place. That day was also when my son came back home (he had worked away from home for over one year), but I had no time to pick him up.
After the meeting, I went back home happily. Unexpectedly, my son was talking to his mother and elder sister about how he accepted the Eastern Lightning. I flew into a rage, and said to him, “Aiguang, we haven’t seen each other for just over a year, but you accepted the Eastern Lightning! Why did you not consult with me about such a great matter? Do your really take me as your father?”
My son said with a smile, “Dad, only after I sought from and investigated the words expressed by Almighty God many times and made certain that Almighty God is indeed the returned Lord Jesus, did I accept His work of the last days. This time I come back just to tell you the good news of the Lord’s return …”
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Stop!” I waved my hand and interrupted him, “With regard to any news of the Lord’s coming, which is a serious issue, we should listen to our pastors and elders. If they accept it, we’ll follow them. But if they deny it, we won’t accept it, either. They’re ordained by the Lord. The Bible says, ‘Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation’ (Romans 13:1-2). From this verse, we can see that we should listen to our pastors and elders in everything. Listening to their words means listening to God’s words, and obeying them is obeying God. Now that the pastors and elders tell us never to listen to or accept it when some people preach the Lord has come, we should act that way according to their words.”
My wife said in agreement, “Yeah. Aiguang, your father is right. While believing in the Lord, we should listen to our pastors and elders in all things. And this has a biblical basis. If we follow what the pastors and elders say, we cannot possibly be wrong.”
My son smiled and said, “Dad, mom, sister, according to the verse ‘Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God’ (Romans 13:1), most believers think obeying their pastors and elders is obeying God and that what their pastors and elders speak and do is from God. But is that really the case? Are we right in holding on to such a viewpoint? Has the Lord ever spoken such words? Without the confirmation of the Lord Jesus’ words, what consequence will it bring to us if we carry on like that? Let us all recall this. In the Age of Grace, when the Lord Jesus was incarnated to do the work, those Jews without discernment obeyed the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees who ruled in religion. They didn’t seek or investigate the Lord Jesus’ work, but followed the religious leaders to resist and condemn Him, and became accomplices who crucified Him. This is a fact. If obeying those in power were obeying God, how come there was such an outcome? Is it in accord with the truth and the fact? You’ve believed in the Lord for years, but why don’t you even have such knowledge?”
At that moment, my wife nodded and said to me, “Oh, what Aiguang fellowshiped is reasonable, but you are also right because it is what it says in the Bible. Could it be wrong? We can’t see it clearly. What is going on here?”
My son said unhurriedly, “Dad, mom, those words are indeed recorded in the Bible, but there is one thing we should be clear about: They were said by Paul, not by the Lord Jesus, nor were they the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Why don’t you believe in God’s words but instead deny them using man’s words? We all know that when the Lord Jesus came to work, the Judaism of that time persecuted Him. Paul didn’t seek in the slightest whether the Lord Jesus is the incarnate God but blindly listened to the chief priests, persecuting, resisting, and condemning Him. From here we can see that what Paul obeyed was position and influence. He was not at all one who submitted to God. Moreover, he himself said that he was a chief sinner of resisting God. If we act in line with what he said, that is, obey whatever our pastors and elders say and follow them blindly without discerning whether their deeds are after the Lord’s will, aren’t we too foolish? Regarding how to treat God’s work, the Lord Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3), and ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God’ (Matthew 5:8). From these two verses, we can see that the Lord’s intention is for us to drop our notions and seek and investigate His work. We will know whether the Lord has really come back after making an investigation. However, where the news of the Lord’s coming is concerned, if we act as previously mentioned, that is, accept it when our pastors and elders accept and refuse it when they refuse, and neither seek nor investigate it, we are actually listening to man’s words rather than God’s words, and we have a place for man in our hearts rather than for God. Then whom do we actually believe in? This question concerns the serious matter of man’s life and death!”

Thursday, October 5, 2017

God’s Love Melted My Hardened Heart II

God’s Love Melted My Hardened Heart II

The next day after I had just finished my breakfast, Sister Deng came again. I felt assured that was the Lord’s preparation. I said to her, “Yesterday I considered what you had fellowshiped for a long time. I feel it is well-founded, but I still cannot come around. I always believe this: I have already received the judgment of the Lord by confessing all my sins in my life; I have emptied myself before the Lord, and I’m no longer of sin; and when the Lord returns, I can be taken to the kingdom of heaven directly. So I think that there is no need for God to come again to do the work of judgment.”
Hearing that, Sister Deng said with a smile, “Sister, let us read two verses first. The Lord Jesus said: ‘I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come (John 16:12-13). ‘For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God’ (1 Peter 4:17). From these two verses, we can see that in the last days, God will come again to express the truth and do the work of judgment. The Lord Jesus only did the redemptive work, that is, redeeming man from sin through the salvation of His crucifixion so that man was qualified to come before God. Meanwhile, through His teachings, He enabled man to gain a little superficial knowledge of himself, but that didn’t involve the change of man’s life disposition. So, if man wants to be cleansed, he must accept the work of judgment and purification by the word of Almighty God—Christ of the last days.” Having said that, she took out from her bag a book entitled Judgment Begins With the House of God. “Let us see what Almighty God says about it,” she said. Then she began to read: “The sins of man could be forgiven through the sin offering, but man has been unable to resolve the issue of just how he can no longer sin and how his sinful nature can be cast away completely and be transformed. The sins of man were forgiven because of the work of God’s crucifixion, but man continued to live in the old, corrupt satanic disposition. As such, man must be completely saved from the corrupt satanic disposition so that the sinful nature of man is completely cast away and never again develops, thus allowing the disposition of man to be changed. This requires man to understand the path of growth in life, the way of life, and the way to change his disposition. It also needs man to act in accordance with this path so that the disposition of man can gradually be changed and he can live under the shining of the light, and that he can do all things in accord with the will of God, cast away the corrupt satanic disposition, and break free from Satan’s influence of darkness, thereby emerging fully from sin. Only then will man receive complete salvation. … Therefore, after that stage was complete, there is still the work of judgment and chastisement. This stage makes man pure through the word so as to give man a path to follow. … This stage is more meaningful than the previous one and more fruitful as well, for now it is the word that directly supplies life for man and enables the disposition of man to be completely renewed; it is a stage of work more thorough. Therefore, the incarnation in the last days has completed the significance of God’s incarnation and completely finished God’s management plan for the salvation of man” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). After reading these words, Sister Deng fellowshiped, “Almighty God tells us plainly that the Lord Jesus only did the redemptive work in the Age of Grace but didn’t do the work of eradicating the root of man’s sin. The effect that stage of work has achieved on man is nothing but enabling man to receive Jesus’ salvation and confess his sin and repent. But because the root of sin is still within man, unremoved, man can continually sin. For example, when people interact together, they can intrigue against each other, struggle for fame and gain, and have jealous disputes with each other; some can pursue evil worldly trends, living in sins; some can blame God and betray God when encountering tribulations and trials; sometimes people can pass judgment on God and disobey God once God’s work is not in line with their notions; and so on. Since we still have so much corruption, how can we enter into the kingdom of God? The Lord Jesus once said, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays ever’ (John 8:34-35). As God is holy, He won’t permit those who are impure to enter into His kingdom; this is a heavenly law, and no one can break it. This shows us that it is not enough for people to only accept the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus and be forgiven of their sins. They have to accept the work of Almighty God in the last days—the work of judgment and purification by the word, because only those who have been judged and purified personally by Almighty God are qualified to be taken into God’s kingdom.” Then Sister Deng read me another two passages of Almighty God’s word concerning God’s work of judgment in the last days and fellowshiped much with me about them.
After listening, I was excited and said, “Almighty God’s words are very practical. My condition is indeed as His words say. I confess and repent to the Lord every day, but I still commit sins in spite of myself. It turns out that the Lord Jesus only did the redemptive work in the Age of Grace. Though people were forgiven of their sins by believing in the Lord, their sinful nature was not resolved and thus they still often sin and resist God involuntarily. God’s work of judgment and chastisement in the last days is to cleanse people with the truth so that they will be totally set free from the bondage of sin and gain the truth and life. Almighty God’s work of judging and purifying man with the word is really practical. I must investigate it carefully.”
When Sister Deng left, she gave me the book Judgment Begins With the House of God, and I was thrilled to bits with it. During the following few days, I read many pieces of Almighty God’s word: “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4),” “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth,” “The Age of Kingdom Is the Age of Word,” “How Does the Second Step of the Conquering Work Achieve the Results,” “Concerning Appellations and Identity,” and so on. God’s words resolved my notions completely, and I was fully convinced that the words expressed by Almighty God are exactly the way of God’s judgment in the last days. The more I read them, the more I felt I was too foolish and absurd. I came to realize that facing God’s work of the last days, what I had displayed was all the ugliness of arrogance and conceit. Had it not been for God’s mercy on me, I would not have heard His words of judgment. I confessed to God time and again. And I recalled how God had paid price for me and how I had resisted His work: In order to bring me before Him, God sent the brothers and sisters to preach the gospel to me time and again. But the stubborn and rebellious I, living in my notions and imaginations, rejected God’s work of the last days. Especially when I saw the book Judgment Begins With the House of God, I didn’t even allow the sister to speak anything about God’s new work, asserting that I had received the judgment and didn’t need God to come again to do any work of judgment and purification. Then I thought of Pastor Zhang, who had got sore boils all over and died tragically, and Sister Cui, who was in the terminal stage of cancer. And I suddenly realized why they had had such tragic outcomes: When God’s salvation of the last days came upon him, Pastor Zhang not only refused to investigate it but sealed off the church, threatening those believers who wanted to investigate the true way and preventing them from returning to Almighty God; when the brothers and sisters of the Church of Almighty God preached Almighty God’s work of the last days to Sister Cui, instead of seeking, she wantonly slandered it and even told her husband and son to drive them off. Their suffering such disasters has revealed God’s righteousness. At that time, I remembered this verse in Revelation: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4). I felt God was calling me to immediately turn back from the path of resistance to God and keep pace with God’s new work and accept His work of judging and purifying man, so that I wouldn’t end up being punished for resisting God. God’s love for me was inexpressibly great!
At that moment, I was extremely remorseful, tears streaming down my face. I hated myself: I am too blind to know God, and have always been stubborn and opinionated and living in my own notions and imaginations, so that I rejected the brothers and sisters who preached the gospel to me. Also, I have hindered many brothers and sisters from investigating God’s salvation of the last days. I should have been punished by God according to my rebellious deeds. When I thought of that, my heart wrenched, and I prostrated myself before Almighty God and prayed, “O Almighty God, I am too ignorant and have truly wounded Your heart. I hate myself for being too foolish to see Your deeds and thus having resisted You. But You didn’t forsake me and still gave me an opportunity to return to Your family. I don’t know what I can do to repay You; I only hope to go all out to bring those true believers in the Lord before You to receive Your salvation, so as to make up for my transgressions.” The next day, with the book of Almighty God’s word—Judgment Begins With the House of God, I went to the homes of those true believers in the Lord in my former church to preach the gospel to them, sincerely repenting to God and repaying His love through practical actions.
The End.
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Thursday, September 28, 2017

Listen! Who Is Speaking?

Listen! Who Is Speaking?

Zhou Li
Being a preacher of the Three Grades of Servants Church, I felt quite helpless when seeing that fewer and fewer brothers and sisters came to the meetings. I had prayed to the Lord countless times, asking Him to strengthen the faith of the brothers and sisters, but the desolation of our church didn’t change at all, and even I myself was mired in weakness. … One day, when I was doing the housework, two co-workers of our church, Brother Wang and Brother Lin, came. Seeing them, I was happy and let them into the room. After an exchange of greetings, Brother Wang said, “Sister Zhou, how is your spiritual condition?” I gave a sigh and said, “Don’t mention it. I’m weak and have nothing to preach in the meetings. The brothers and sisters are also passive and weak, and there are only a few left in the church.” At this, they looked at each other, and Brother Lin said, “Sister Zhou, do you know why we are no longer able to preach, and why there are only a few believers left in the church?” Hearing that, I thought, “This is just what I want to know. Do they know the reason?” So I asked quickly, “Why?” Brother Wang said, “Because the Lord has come back and become flesh for the second time to speak and carry out new work. Many brothers and sisters have accepted God’s new work and have lived in the stream of the present work of the Holy Spirit, and their condition is growing better. We also should hurry up and follow God’s footsteps!” His words reminded me of what our senior co-workers had said, “If anyone preaches that God has carried out new work and expressed new words, he has departed from the Bible. Departure from the Bible is not belief in God, but is deviation from the Lord’s way, and is apostasy.” As I thought of that, I said gravely, “Haven’t our senior co-workers told us many times that departure from the Bible is not belief in God? You should have remembered it. Departure from the Bible is departure from the Lord’s way. You are so bold to preach that to me.” As I spoke, I got up. At the time, Brother Lin said, “Take it easy, Sister Zhou. We know you are a true believer of God and pursue hard, so we preach God’s new work to you. You should examine it carefully, and not miss this opportunity! …” I raised my hand before he finished his speaking, and said, “Stop! Stop! Don’t talk about it anymore. I won’t believe in whatever departs from the Bible. You gave up the Lord’s way, but I will hold it fast.” Seeing me obstinately refuse to listen, they had to leave. After that, they came a few times, but I gave them the cold shoulder.
One day, Brother Wang and Brother Lin came with two sisters. At that time, I was in the room picking over beans, and my husband was working outside the house. He let them into the room. At the sight of them, my heart skipped a beat, “You came again and also brought along two helpers.” They entered the room and greeted me. Then they began to fellowship with my husband. I was dreadfully worried, thinking, “What they preach departs from the Bible. I must keep watch over my husband lest he be tempted by them.” I wanted to drive them away, but I was afraid that my husband would get annoyed, so I had to keep silent. I didn’t take in anything they preached, while he kept nodding his head, saying, “Yes, it’s right. That’s it. That’s it. It sounds reasonable. What you are saying is great!” Seeing him so attracted by their preaching, I got furious and said sarcastically with my finger pointing at him, “Is it really right? How much have you read the Bible? How many days have you believed in God? Did you rely on God? You said ‘right, right, right’; how much have you understood?” My rude words and manner brought the room into complete silence. They looked at one another, and my husband said to me at once, “Knock it off! Let’s listen first. It is good for us. How could you know whether it is right or not without hearing it?” Knowing that I couldn’t stop him, I moved the beans back and forth angrily to make noises, thinking in a fit of pique, “Want to listen! I won’t let you hear anything. I must disturb you!” However, my act didn’t disturb my husband from hearing their fellowship at all, and instead, he talked with them happily while listening. After some time, my husband said to me joyfully, “Xiaoli, the Lord has truly come back! The words in this book are personally spoken by God. They are so wonderful! Xiaoli, go and prepare the dinner.” I cast him an angry look and said, “You cook if you like. I have no time.” Later, my husband and Brother Lin cooked the dinner. After the meal, they gave him a book, some tapes, and a hymn book, and then left. I couldn’t bear it anymore and said to my husband, “Our senior co-workers said many times that believers in God can’t depart from the Bible. Departure from the Bible is not belief in God. Have you forgotten it? You have no stand at all!” But my husband said calmly, “What they preached doesn’t depart from the Bible but goes higher on the basis of the Bible. And moreover, Almighty God’s new work they preached has fulfilled the words in the Bible. As you see, there are only a few people left in our church. You also need to investigate it quickly.” Hearing his words, I responded crossly, “What do you know? Departure from the Bible means betrayal of the Lord. You don’t hold on to the Bible, but I will keep to it.”
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From then on, my husband would read the book given by Brother Lin whenever he had time. One early morning, at about three o’clock, my husband got up and began to read the book. I, half awake, heard him reading: “… could it be that you have forgotten…? Have you really forgotten…?” (“How Peter Came to Know Jesus” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I was annoyed at his reading aloud, thinking, “You got up so early and have disturbed my sleep!” After a little while, I dimly heard: “… because before Jesus was crucified He had said to him: ‘I am not of this world, and you too are not of this world” (“How Peter Came to Know Jesus” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “It’s so strange that this book mentions the Lord Jesus! Did I mishear?” I thought. Then I clearly heard: “… have you forgotten? … have you forgotten?” (“How Peter Came to Know Jesus” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). At that moment, my heart was moved, and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I said to myself, “Who has said that? O Lord, is it You who is speaking to me? These words seem to be said to me by You. How gentle they are!” And then I thought, “I must get up quickly to cook the meal, and after breakfast I will read that book and see what it says about and whether it departs from the Bible.”
Having finished the breakfast, my husband went to read the book. I thought, “Why didn’t he ask me to read it together with him?” I stood at the door for quite a while, but he immersed himself in the book and didn’t notice me at all. I walked in the kitchen back and forth restlessly, anxious to see what was written in the book. I looked into the room, and he was still absorbed in reading the book. I really wanted to go into the room and read that book with him. But then I thought, “The brothers and sisters came to preach to me many times, but I didn’t accept it. If I ask him to let me read the book, would he reproach me? If so, how embarrassed I would be!” At the thought of that, I withdrew my head. I paced up and down the outer room. When I remembered the words my husband read aloud in the early morning, I grew more anxious, thinking, “I must go in to see what that book talks about.” So I walked to the door, but drew back again. Like a cat on hot bricks, I didn’t know what to do. At last, I steeled myself and thought, “Well, if he says something unpleasant to me, let him do it. I shouldn’t have rejected them so stubbornly or have turned a deaf ear to his advice.” I got up the courage and walked into the room, and said embarrassedly, “Shall we read it together?” He raised his head with a surprised look and said joyfully, “OK! Come! Let’s read it together.” I was much moved, as he didn’t reproach me as I had expected. My uneasiness now vanished. I was so happy and began to read the book with my husband. But what we read were not the words I overheard in the early morning. Just then my husband went out, and I hurriedly turned back the pages. I found the very words I wanted! I read these words aloud with joy: “Peter was greatly encouraged by Jesus’ words, because before Jesus was crucified He had said to him: ‘I am not of this world, and you too are not of this world.’ Later, when Peter reached a point of great pain, Jesus reminded him: ‘Peter, have you forgotten? I am not of the world, and it was only for My work that I departed earlier. You too are not of the world, have you forgotten? I have told you twice, do you not remember?’ Peter heard Him and said: ‘I have not forgotten!’ Jesus then said: ‘You once spent a happy time gathered with Me in heaven and a period of time by My side. You miss Me, and I miss you. Although the creatures are not worth mentioning in My eyes, how can I not love one who is innocent and lovable? Have you forgotten My promise? You must accept My commission on earth; you must fulfill the task that I entrusted you with. One day I will certainly lead you to be by My side” (“How Peter Came to Know Jesus” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I read them over and over again. The more I read, the more I felt they didn’t deviate from the Bible. I wondered then, “Why do my senior co-workers say whoever preaches that the Lord has come back and done new work and spoken new words has departed from the Bible and that departure from the Bible means departure from the Lord’s way?” I prayed in my heart, “O Lord, what is all this about? May You enlighten me and guide me so that I can understand Your will.”
Afterward, I read these words of Almighty God: “For many years, people’s traditional means of belief (that of Christianity, one of the world’s three major religions) has been to read the Bible; departure from the Bible is not the belief in the Lord, departure from the Bible is an evil cult, and heresy, and even when people read other books, the foundation of these books must be the explanation of the Bible. Which is to say, if you say you believe in the Lord, then you must read the Bible, you must eat and drink the Bible, and outside the Bible you must not worship any book that does not involve the Bible. If you do, then you are betraying God. From the time when there was the Bible, people’s belief in the Lord has been the belief in the Bible. Instead of saying people believe in the Lord, it is better to say they believe in the Bible; rather than saying they have begun reading the Bible, it is better to say they have begun believing in the Bible; and rather than saying they have returned before the Lord, it would be better to say they have returned before the Bible. In this way, people worship the Bible as if it were God, as if it were their lifeblood and losing it would be the same as losing their life. People see the Bible as being as high as God, and there are even those who see it as higher than God” (“Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). These words touched my heart. “Aren’t they directed at me? I have been holding to the Bible like this since I began to believe in the Lord. I see the Bible as my lifeblood. Every time after I read it, I put it on a high place beyond the reach of my children. I consider it above everything else, and even think that departure from the Bible means betrayal of the Lord. But, am I wrong?” I read on with a seeking heart, from “Concerning the Bible (1)” to “Concerning the Bible (4).” The more I read, the more I became enlightened. Almighty God’s words made me completely understand this: Actually, the Bible is nothing more than a historical record of God’s work, a testament to the previous two stages of God’s work. The Old Testament records Jehovah’s work from the time of creation until the end of the Age of Law, and the New Testament records the Lord Jesus’ work in the Age of Grace. God’s work is always new and never old, and is ceaselessly progressing onward. Today God has done a new stage of work outside the Bible—the work of the Age of Kingdom, which is the last stage of God’s work of saving man. These three stages of work are done by one God. “That’s right!” I thought, “God is so almighty, so wise; it is impossible for Him to have just done the limited work recorded in the Bible. Besides, I have personally seen from Almighty God’s words that God’s words and work in the last days do not deny the Bible, but become higher and deeper on the basis of the work of the Age of Law and the Age of Grace recorded in the Bible, and are more in line with man’s actual needs. It is just as this passage of Almighty God’s word says: ‘You must understand why, today, you are asked not to read the Bible, why there is another work that is separate from the Bible, why God does not look for newer, more detailed practice in the Bible, why there is instead mightier work outside of the Bible. This is all what you should understand. You must know the difference between the old and new work, and even though you do not read the Bible, you must be able to dissect it; if not, you will still worship the Bible, and it will be difficult for you to enter into the new work and undergo new changes. Since there is a higher way, why study that low, outdated way? Since there are newer utterances, and newer work, why live amid old historical records? The new utterances can provide for you, which proves that this is the new work; the old records can’t sate you, or satisfy your current needs, which proves that they are history, and not the work of the here and now. The highest way is the newest work, and with the new work, no matter how high the way of the past, it is still the history of people’s reflections, and no matter its value as reference, it is still the old way. Even though it is recorded in the ‘holy book,’ the old way is history; even though there is no record of it in the ‘holy book,’ the new way is of the here and now. This way can save you, and this way can change you, for this is the work of the Holy Spirit’” (“Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). At that moment, I was suddenly enlightened: Now I know why I have grown increasingly passive in spirit although I have held to the Bible all the time and why my brothers and sisters have become ever weaker and some of them have even stopped attending the meetings although they haven’t departed from the Bible under my leading; why those brothers and sisters who have accepted the kingdom gospel of Almighty God are full of faith, and no matter how I have treated them, they are not disheartened but still come to preach the gospel to me again and again. The reason is this: What I have held to is the old way and I have long lost the work of the Holy Spirit; whereas the brothers and sisters of the Church of Almighty God are guided by the new way and watered by God’s new words, thereby gaining the work of the Holy Spirit. This is how the new way and the old way differ.
At that time, I had a mixed feeling of happiness and sadness. I was happy because although I had been so disobedient and resistant to Him, God didn’t abandon me but allowed me to overhear His voice through my husband reading His words out in early morning. That was really God’s love for me. And I was sad because every time the brothers and sisters came from afar to preach the gospel to me, I ignored them, and I even spoke cold words when they fellowshiped with my husband. Thinking of God’s love and my resistance to God’s work, I couldn’t restrain my tears. I knelt down before God and prayed, “O Almighty God, I know I am wrong. I’m willing to put aside the Bible, keep up with Your new work, and listen to Your words in the new age. I will never again oppose You, nor do I want my life to be ruined by my notions and imaginations. O God, I’m resolved to cooperate with You and bring those true believers in You to Your house, so as to make up for my indebtedness to You. Thank Almighty God! May all the glory be to Almighty God!”
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